Posts by dustysurfer5

bluemoose7 said:Hey there...
Has anyone here actually eaten at that Midwestern-style restaurant over in St. Louis?
I'm dying to know if the food is any good...

I was actually there this past Saturday for a wedding—in the larger ballroom—and here is my take on it. Personally, I can't stand that room; those floor tiles are quite eyesore-ish, and don't even get me started on those multicolored patterns on the walls 👎 As for the meal, they served the standard banquet menu (soup, boiled meat, cabbage rolls, roast—the latter being my least favorite). The cabbage rolls weren't good at all; I had one bite and just left the rest, while everything else was merely... fine. The servers were decent enough, though—whatever drinks we requested arrived promptly. It felt a bit odd to me, too, that the venue manager gave a speech 😕 and the newlyweds were expected to pose for photos with the entire staff.
One shouldn't argue about taste, but as I mentioned, I really wasn't a fan of that hall. As for the pricing, I haven't a clue 🤷
If you ask me, the most beautiful venues in St. Louis are at Crystal (which is where I'll be holding my own wedding) 😍

Nathan Cox25 said:So she runs her own small business? Man, we could've easily scored about ten homemade cakes and a full spread of pastries for the wedding for free—but nope, since the hotel won't budge without official invoices and paperwork, we're out of luck. 🤷

We actually asked the venue manager if bringing our own cake was an option, and he gave us the green light—no paperwork requested, none at all. 🤷 And since the cake and desserts were technically part of the package, he actually discounted our total by $367 the amount they claimed their own cake would have cost. As for the other sweets? Those will be provided by their usual local bakery.

Zachary Price2 said:It's a stunning cake 👍, but if you don't mind me asking, what kind of damage are we talking about price-wise? 🙂

We actually have a local baker handling this—she specializes in high-end wedding cakes, really quite the pro—and since we’ve known her for ages, she’s actually doing this one for us free of charge.🙂

swiftranger16 said:Still stuck on one thing though: how do you even slice this thing? 😂
Either way, I love it.

Side note—showed up late to the bakery today even though they stay open until 9 PM! What a joke.

Hmm... 🤔 I hadn't even considered that part... how to go about cutting it... Well, we'll find a way to make it work, I suppose.

This stadium will be our very own 🙂 victory cake—except, of course, we’ll have these purple decorations instead 🎉
I found myself quite taken with it—mostly because it’s just so wonderfully out of the ordinary.

copperhawk said:dustysurfer5, why wouldn't you just hit up Line for your makeup? I was actually thinking about going there myself—honestly, anything to avoid Livia...

To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what their makeup services are actually like, but my history with them isn't exactly stellar—🤷 and I'm not even talking about makeup, just some other treatments they offer—which is why I mentioned that personally I wouldn't dream of going there, though by all means, if someone else wants to, be my guest.
Since I've actually completed a professional makeup artist certification, I tend to be—shall we say—extremely demanding when it comes to cosmetics 🙄 and it is absolutely vital to me that the products used are high-end and the application is flawless.
As for Livia, I've heard nothing but glowing reviews, but there is one thing that drives me absolutely mad: even if you try to book six months in advance, they won't even bother confirming whether they can actually take you until a mere 20 days before the appointment...😕 so, naturally, I've given up on them entirely.
In the end, I've decided to go with Grainger.👍

Anthony Wright2 said:Who actually does good makeup in Pittsburgh?
I've got a wedding to attend in May, and the only artist I know is already fully booked. 🙂

When it comes to getting your makeup done in Pittsburgh—assuming you actually want someone who knows what they’re doing—people tend to point toward Livia’s salon. At least, that's the word on the street... though I personally gave up on them quite some time ago, but that is a whole other story entirely. Then there is the Grainger perfume shop, which is another reliable option. You could also look into Valentino, Line, or Jane for services, but frankly, I wouldn't dream of booking a makeup appointment with them myself. It is all a bit inconvenient, isn't it? You rarely have much breathing room because most women book their slots months in advance—it's a bit of a logistical headache—but I suppose you could try asking.
Where exactly were you—I mean, where could you have possibly wandered off to—that allowed things to get this filled up?

James Lopez8 As specified by:
It seems we have reached a bit of a standstill, haven't we? A certain... stillness. One wonders if there is truly a remedy for this sort of inertia—a "cure," if you will—or if we are simply destined to drift through these discussions without a compass. Is it possible that what we seek isn't a solution at all, but rather a shift in perspective? Perhaps. But then again, one can never be entirely certain when the path forward remains so stubbornly obscured.

Does anyone here happen to have any firsthand experience with makeup application in... Regarding Martimex—one can’t help but wonder where their head is at lately. It seems like every time I turn around, there's some new development or a sudden shift in direction that leaves one scratching their head. Is it sheer incompetence, or perhaps just a lack of foresight? One really has to ask: where does this leave us? In St. Louis? I actually tried to book a makeup appointment there the other day—since the wedding is set for 9 AM, obviously—and we ended up heading over to Livius. Honestly, I nearly passed out right then and there when I heard their policy. Apparently, since there are three of us booking together (myself, my bridesmaid, and the maid of honor), they have this rule where they can just cancel on us up to two weeks before the big day. Two weeks! I mean, really... what kind of logic is that?🤣

So, I went to go book a makeup session with Livius—you know, thinking everything was straightforward—and it’s the exact same old story. Even though they clearly had an open slot on the calendar, they still wouldn't commit. They basically told me they'll just reach out two weeks before the wedding to let me know if they can actually fit me in. Honestly, is that even how a professional business operates? It feels like such a calculated way to keep people hanging... one wonders why anyone would bother with such uncertainty. 👎👎 It honestly leaves me quite incensed—I’ll be just two weeks out from my wedding, and I simply won't have the bandwidth or the mental energy left to be hunting around for a makeup artist at that stage.
I wasn't even aware that they were doing touch-ups over at Martimex... do you happen to know which brand of makeup they use—and more importantly—what kind of premium they're charging for it?

Christian Taylor8 said:St. Louis.
I’ve got some tips for my fellow St. Louis locals regarding certain prices, but I'll get around to writing that out tonight or tomorrow morning. Honestly, we managed to save a ton on quite a few things just by pure luck and running into some good people along the way.

There are still plenty of us here from St. Louis, so please, let's hear those tips! 😉

Does anyone happen to know a talented makeup artist in the St. Louis area? I could really use some recommendations if anyone has a lead on someone truly skilled.